Who Made It? The Inventions Quiz

Many people take modern conveniences like TV and toilets for granted, but have you ever wondered about the people who came up with these important inventions? Take our quiz to test your knowledge!

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Question 1 of 30

Who gave the world the printing press in the 15th century?

Leonardo da Vinci

Johannes Gutenberg

German Johannes Gutenberg created the printing press around 1450, making books available to the masses for the first time in history.

Martin Behaim

Question 2 of 30

Which inventor is responsible for modern refrigeration?

Willis Carrier

Thomas Edison

William Cullen

Scottish physicist William Cullen developed the first refrigeration system in the 1800s, but it took another century for the appliance to gain widespread use.

Question 3 of 30

Who patented the cotton gin in 1794?

Eli Whitney

Eli Whitney's cotton gin revolutionized the process of separating seeds from cotton fiber. Whitney later made significant improvements to manufacturing while working for the government.

George Washington Carver

Thomas Edison

Question 4 of 30

Who perfected the steam engine in 1764?

Thomas Savery

Thomas Newcomen

James Watt

While Watt didn't invent the steam engine, his improvements made the engine vastly more efficient, which helped to spur the Industrial Revolution.

Question 5 of 30

Who invented the telescope?

Hans Lippershey

Hans Lippershey patented the first telescope in 1608. Galileo may not have invented the device, but he was the first person to use the telescope to explore the sky.

Galileo Galilei

Johannes Kepler

Question 6 of 30

Which inventor created the piano?

Leonardo da Vinci

Bartolomeo Cristofori

Cristofori came up with his pianoforte in 1700, and before long, the instrument could be found 'round the world.

Alessandro Cruto

Question 7 of 30

Who first dreamed up a flushable toilet in 1775?

Thomas Crapper

Sir John Harrington

Sir John Harrington of England first came up with the idea of a flushable toilet, but it took work by Crapper and Cumming to bring the invention to the masses.

Alexander Cumming

Question 8 of 30

Who invented the telegraph?

Alexander Graham Bell

Thomas Edison

Samuel Morse

It was Samuel Morse who invented both the telegraph and Morse code in the 1830s and '40s. By 1866, a telegraph cable stretched across the Atlantic.

Question 9 of 30

Who invented the alternating current-based electricity used in modern American homes?

Thomas Edison

Benjamin Franklin

Nikola Tesla

While Edison pushed for the use of direct current, Tesla's safer and more efficient alternating current eventually won and became the primary technology used in homes.

Question 10 of 30

Who created the first practical and affordable light bulb for residences?

Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison didn't create the first light bulb, but he was the first to use a carbonized bamboo filament to make a light bulb that was practical for the masses.

Samuel Morse

Benjamin Franklin

Question 11 of 30

Who created Portland cement?

Lynn Mason Scofield

Joseph Aspdin

Joseph Aspdin revolutionized construction when he mixed limestone and clay to create Portland cement in 1824.

John Crossfield

Question 12 of 30

Who invented the first jeans, or riveted pants?

Levi Strauss

Samuel Khaki

Jacob Davis

Nevada tailor Jacob Davis created the first jeans in 1871. He asked local store owner Levi Strauss to be his partner when filing for his patent.

Question 13 of 30

Who created the first practical camera in 1839?

Johann Zahn

Nicephore Niepce

Louis Daguerre

The daguerreotype — introduced by Louis Daguerre — allowed people to take a photo in minutes rather than hours.

Question 14 of 30

Who invented radio?

Thomas Edison

Guglielmo Marconi

Marconi invented radio in the late 19th century. In 1909 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for his invention.

Philo T. Farnsworth

Question 15 of 30

Who said, "Mr. Watson, come here. I want you." in the 1870s?

Cromwell F. Varley

Antonio Meucci

Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell uttered these words when testing his invention, the telephone, in 1876.

Question 16 of 30

Who invented the first gas-powered car?

Henry Ford

Karl Benz

While Henry Ford made the Model T for the masses, Karl Benz made the first automobile in 1885.

Louis Chevrolet

Question 17 of 30

Who invented bubble gum?

Walter E. Diemer

While gum has been around since 1870, Diemer created the first bubble gum in 1928. Wondering why he chose pink to color his concoction? It was the only color food dye he had on hand at the time.

William Wrigley Jr.

John B. Curtis

Question 18 of 30

Who invented the first completely synthetic plastic?

Richard Drew

Edwin Herbert Land

Leo Baekeland

Leo Baekeland introduced Bakelite in 1909 and eventually filed 400 patents related to his invention.

Question 19 of 30

Who invented the first modern electric air conditioner?

Willis Carrier

Willis Carrier introduced the air conditioner at the 1904 World's Fair, where it was used to cool a 1,000-seat auditorium.

Sir John Harrington

James Watt

Question 20 of 30

Who invented the first successful airplane?

Frederick Valentich

Wilbur and Orville Wright

The Wright brothers flew four successful flights with their powered airplane at Kitty Hawk in 1903.

Charles Lindbergh

Question 21 of 30

Who invented the first all-electric television?

Philip J. Fry

John Logie Baird

Philo T. Farnsworth

Philo T. Farnsworth brought the world the first all-electric television in 1938 and went on to work in nuclear fusion.

Question 22 of 30

Who invented liquid paper in the 1950s?

Bette Nesmith Graham

Bette Nesmith Graham, mother of Michael Nesmith of The Monkees, invented liquid paper in 1957. She later sold the product to Gillette for more than $40 million.

Janelle Johnson

Virginia Hope

Question 23 of 30

Who created the ballpoint pen in 1944?

Laszlo Biro

Laszlo Biro came up with the ballpoint pen. Unlike other pens used at the time, it dried instantly and could write for months without refilling.

Conrad Gessner

Michael Ball

Question 24 of 30

Who accidentally invented the microwave oven in the 1940s?

Samuel Percy

Percy Sledge

Percy Spencer

While working for Raytheon, engineer Percy Spencer accidentally came up with the idea for a microwave after a candy bar melted in his pocket.

Question 25 of 30

Who is credited for inventing and naming the laser?

Gordon Gould

Gordon Gould invented and named the laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation."

Albert Einstein

Frederick Laser

Question 26 of 30

Who came up with penicillin in 1929?

Louis Pasteur

Alexander Fleming

Sir Alexander Fleming came up with penicillin in 1929 after seeing mold growing on bread.

Jonas Salk

Question 27 of 30

Who led the Manhattan Project to develop a working atomic bomb?

Otto Hahn

J. Robert Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer was the physicist who headed up the Manhattan Project.

Otto Frisch

Question 28 of 30

Who invented the first practical radar system in 1935?

Heinrich Hertz

James Clerk Maxwell

Robert Watson-Watt

Sir Robert Watson-Watt picked up a patent for his radar system in 1935. His invention later played a major role in World War II.

Question 29 of 30

Who invented the World Wide Web?

Al Gore

Tim Berners-Lee

Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web in 1999, which made the Internet widely accessible and practical for the masses. Contrary to popular belief, Al Gore never actually claimed to be the inventor of the Internet.

Steve Jobs

Question 30 of 30

Who invented the first personal computer?

Charles Babbage

Charles Babbage created the first personal computer way back in the 1830s and is known today as the father of computing.